Around The World (Wide Web): Kobe, Phil, Lamar Odom,

From Eric Pincus, LA Times: Kobe Bryant was voted “favorite player in the league” by 36 rookies in a survey for NBA.com, according to John Schuhmann. Bryant topped the list with 21.2% of the votes. LeBron James came in second (15.2%), followed by a third-place tie between Kevin Durant and Dirk Nowitzki (12.1% apiece). Steve Nash also received at least one vote. Rookies weren’t permitted to vote for “themselves, college teammates or NBA teammates,” Schuhmann wrote.

From Dan Feldman, Pro Basketball Talk: It’s early in the 2027-28 season, and the Lakers have struggled to a 1-4 start. The year before, an aging Kyrie Irving helped lead the Lakers to the North American Conference Finals, but they ran out of gas and were swept by Seattle. Still, the Lakers brought back their core, including Coach Monty Williams, who led the Lakers to championships in 2023 and 2024. Suddenly, the Lakers look old, and fans are calling for Williams to be fired. Who’s their preferred replacement? 82-year-old Phil Jackson. At least that’s whom Mike D’Antoni believes Lakers fans would want in that scenario. Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times.

From Dan Duangdao, Lakers Nation: During this off-season, much of the discussion has centered around Kobe Bryant’s return from Achilles surgery and if he’ll be able to play at a high-level once again. Despite the fact that Bryant is ahead of schedule in his recovery and some are optimistic that he’ll be returning for opening night against the Los Angeles Clippers, others think the injury is too difficult to come back from at this stage of his career. In an interview with ESPNLosAngeles.com, an anonymous Western Conference scout was optimistic and believes that Bryant will be back at an All-Star level: “I would not be surprised for him to be back at an All-Star level. I don’t know if it’s going to be next season, it could be, but I could definitely see him being back as an All-Star because that’s just in his DNA.” While Bryant will likely lose some athleticism from this injury, his smarts and experience will enable him to conquer this challenge, similarly to Michael Jordan.

From Drew Garrison, Silver Screen & Roll: The Los Angeles Lakers are not interested in signing free agent Lamar Odom, according to Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. The Lakers had reached out to Odom shortly after the 2013 free agency period began, but there were no reports of talks advancing beyond an exploratory phase.The Lakers had “some interest” in acquiring Odom and had talks with him in early July, but the team no longer has any interest in acquiring him, according to a league source familiar with the discussions. A source close to Odom informed Jared Zwerling of ESPN that he was interested in returning to the Lakers.